Spirit of the Taku - Limited Edition Print
Spirit of the Taku - Limited Edition Print
30" x 29 1/2"
2004
Edition of VIII
This is a very personal image, inspired by the many rafting trips that I have made to the Taku River with my family. Teeming with life, the Taku River flows from Alaska through to northern British Columbia.
I have had many spiritual experiences on the Taku, including an exceptionally close encounter with a grizzly bear and a chance to see what I call The Spirit of the Taku, a completely white bald eagle. The image draws on a traditional Salish weaving design, echoing the constant movement of the river. The design flows through the form of the eagle itself, drawing attention to the connections between the eagle and his environment. Within the wings of the eagle there are two salmon heads (traditionally often depicted in pairs for good luck). This image reminds us that we are all linked, both to our environment -- and to all the living creatures that share it.
- Susan Point
Croes, Dale, et al. Susan Point: Works on Paper. Figure 1 Publishing, 2014.
Susan Point
CULTURAL GROUP:
Coast Salish
BORN:
April 5, 1952
BIRTHPLACE:
Musqueam Reserve, Vancouver, BC
Susan Point, although primarily self-taught, has received training in wood carving from master carver, John Livingston. She also completed a jewellery course at Vancouver Community College with Jack Leyland. In 1981, she began to study and work in Salish art, especially with jewellery and small sculptures. Susan has been a part of numerous group and solo exhibitions. In 2009, her work was featured in Challenging Traditions: Contemporary First Nations Art of the Northwest Coast at the McMichael Canadian Art Collection in Kleinburg, ON. In 2010, her work was exhibited in Visions of British Columbia: A Landscape Manual at the Vancouver Art Gallery in BC; Coast Salish Nation Carving Gallery, BC; and Pavillion, and in the 2010 Olympic Games in Vancouver, BC. In 1986, she exhibited in New Visions: Serigraphs by Susan Point, Coast Salish Artist, which was organized by the Museum of Anthropology, UBC. Her work has also been featured overseas, including in galleries in Switzerland in 1989 alongside artists Joe David and Lawrence Paul Yuxweluptun.
Susan has been commissioned for many large-scale private and public collections since 1981. In 1993, Susan created various glass, copper, and cedar panels for the Vancouver International Airport, and in 1994 she was commissioned to also carve a 16" diameter red cedar spindle whorl titled Flight. In 2011, she carved a housepost titled Rebirth for the Vancouver Art Gallery, BC, and that year she also carved a red cedar Welcome Figure for Douglas College in New Wesminster, BC. Many of her pieces are featured throughout the city of Vancouver, at the Vancouver International Airport, and at UBC's Museum of Anthropology.
Since the early 1990s, Susan has received numerous awards that recognize her great artistic abilities and achievements. In March of 2004, she was appointed to the Royal Canadian Academy, and in 2006 she was awarded the Order of Canada. In 2007, she received a BC Creative Achievement Award for Aboriginal Art. Susan has been awarded Honorary Doctorates in Fine Arts from Emily Carr College of Art and Design (2008), Simon Fraser University (2008), and the University of British Columbia (2009). Susan has works in private and corporate collections in over 20 countries.
